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1 Child Helplines and Telecoms A toolkit to assist your child helpline to advocate for a free of costs telephone number

2 In ten years, child helplines around the world received over 126 million contacts from children and young people in need of support. Every two seconds a child somewhere is reaching out to a child helpline.

4 4 A. Introduction A.1.The importance of free of cost access to child helplines is undeniable. Children need the opportunity to receive help at all places and at all times. Most children cannot afford to pay for the calls, especially marginalised and impoverished children. A free of cost, short digit number is fundamental in order to provide children with access to counselling and appropriate referrals within the child protection services available in their country. Experience shows that child helplines that have toll-free numbers receive ten times more calls on average than child helplines that do not. Children need the opportunity to receive help at all places and at all times. Bearing this in mind, CHI strives towards the allocation of telephone numbers to child helplines that are: 1. free of cost for calls made from land lines and mobile phones; 2. long term sustainable e.g. it is guaranteed that the number will be free of cost for a long period; 3. child appropriate - meaning short, and easy to remember; 4. preferably harmonised on a regional or sub-regional basis. A.2. A telecommunication toolkit The assignment of telephone numbers ultimately takes place on a national level and is organised by governments and their national telecommunication regulatory authorities. To assist efforts of child helplines in achieving assigned free of cost telephone numbers, CHI since 2005 (see chapter F for more information), has been advocating on an international and regional level with the intention to achieve supportive legislations, regulations and recommendations in this regard. Initially efforts were put into the possible reservation of a globally harmonised, three-digit emergency number for child helplines. However global harmonisation of even short digit numbers as in the national emergency numbers 999, 110, 112 has not yet been achieved due to the complexity of the global telecommunications regulatory landscape. Accordingly CHI has changed its strategy and agreed to pursue regional harmonisation of free of cost numbers. Hence increased focus was put on the regional telecommunication regulatory stakeholders. Organisations intending to achieve assigned free of cost telephone numbers to their child helpline services, have to advocate their national governments, ministries and telecom providers. The objective of this toolkit is to share information, pointers and assistance for these advocacy efforts. In detail this document will provide you with: Information on CHI Secretariat s advocacy efforts on an international level; Available supporting documents with international, regional or national relevance; An overview of the different available numbering models and their specific implications on the implementation of child helpline services; Some tips on how to prepare and carry out an advocacy campaign, targeting the assignment of a free of cost phone number on a national level

5 5 Best practices and experiences from CHI member organisations; A summary of the current status of the allocation of free of charge telephone numbers to child helplines within the CHI network; The intention of this document is to give an overview, share some success stories and challenges and inspire and inform without going into too much detail. There is no on-size-fits-all solution for child helplines on how to successfully implement free of cost numbers. The situation within the different countries can vary greatly; therefore each child helpline planning to take this initiative forward will have to identify their individual approaches based on their individual frame conditions and telecommunication landscape. This document in no way claims to be exhaustive. There are numerous efforts and achievements from within the CHI membership that are not displayed here. However the CHI Secretariat intends to make this a living document, where regular updates and new case studies can be included at any time.

6 6 B. Different Numbering Models and Implications B.1. Free of costs telephone numbers Toll-free numbers and emergency numbers are the two main categories that provide for a free of cost access to the caller. Both numbers come with specific criteria and characteristics and have certain implications on the organisations utilising them. Hence, child helplines need to look into the exact consequences their choice of number would have on their organisation before making a decision. B.1.1. Toll-free numbers Toll-free numbers are numbers that allow callers to reach services without being charged for the call. Instead the telephone carrier charges the called party (the toll-free subscriber) with the cost of the call. The price of the call is usually based on factors such as the amount of usage, the cost of the telephone lines to the facility, and possibly a flat rate service charge. The numbers usually starts with a prefixes such as 800, 0-800, or similar, depending on the national numbering plans. Toll-free numbers are numbers that allow callers to reach services without being charged for the call. The recommendations issued by global or regional telecommunication regulatory bodies as result of CHI interventions, refer to toll-free numbers. Check the chapter F on existing supporting document and recommendations. B.1.2. Emergency numbers Emergency numbers are special numbers that allow a caller to contact local emergency services that ensure public health and safety. They can be reached at all times and from all phones, including locked phones, regardless of the phone s subscription plan and their solvency. Calls to emergency numbers are usually handled with priority, and in case of telecommunications disruptions, they are the first to be reconnected. In most countries, by law, neither caller nor called party have to bear the costs for the call. An emergency number is typically, but not per se, a three-digit number so that it can easily be remembered and dialed quickly. CHI strives for the allocation of short, 3 4 digit telephone numbers as these are easy for children to remember. Emergency numbers are special numbers that allow a caller to contact local emergency services that ensure public health and safety. In many countries, the national emergency numbers are pre-programmed onto all mobile phones and the SIM cards of all telecom providers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, but the network redirects the emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency calls even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card, or an emergency number can be entered into the cell phone PIN code window. B.2. Implications on your organisation Child helplines are tightly linked to their telephone numbers. The number often forms part of the organisation s name and/or the service is branded and marketed through its number. Changing a telephone number is not something a child helpline service easily decides. However free of cost access for children and young people to the service is crucial for the child helpline to become a really useful tool for child protection. The change of numbers will have an impact on all aspects of the organisation behind the child helpline service. This chapter will try to point out and compare the biggest organisational implications related to the

7 7 operation of toll-free and emergency numbers and aims to assist child helplines in their decision making process. B.2.1. Specific implications for Toll-Free numbers: Costs for calls: Child helplines usually work with one main telecom partner when implementing their services. At the end of the month they receive their phone bills from this particular partner. The costs might comprise of certain monthly subscription fees, the regular call tariffs and possible inter agency fees that occur when customers from other mobile operators call the child helpline service. Child helplines need to be aware of this fact and include this cost factor into their planning from the very beginning, long before launching and advertising the new number. Some child helplines decide to cover these costs themselves and carry out significant fundraising efforts, solely dedicated to mobilising the necessary resources to cover their monthly phone costs. Other child helplines manage to enter beneficial agreements with their telecom partners in order to waiver the monthly phone costs. Additionally some child helplines secure other third party private sector support towards this budget line. Specific implications for toll free numbers on your organisation can pertain to: Costs for call Legal implications Accessibility from mobile phones Number recognition Many CHI members have found very creative and successful solutions to this problem. Some of these members have provided us with short summaries explaining their approach and experiences and we will share some of them in the chapter on Case Studies. Legal implications: There are no general legal implications or regulations regarding the operation of a toll-free number. However there are specific regulations and criteria attached to those toll-free numbers reserved for child helplines as a result of CHI campaigns and applications (see chapter F on existing EU recommendation on ) Accessibility from mobile phones: Toll-free numbers should be easily accessible from all mobile phones regardless of their subscriptions. However different tariffs may apply when roaming between different networks which will eventually have an effect on the monthly phone bills. Some child helplines, due to lack of funds and respective partnerships, had chosen solutions where customers of some mobile providers are charged when calling the service. In this case, those callers are informed about the applicable charges by their telecom provider through an automated message when dialling the toll-free number. Number recognition: In this respect, toll-free numbers are handled like any normal telephone number. Number recognition is possible, as long as the caller allows it and does not hide his or her number from the called party. However child helplines, due to the nature of the service and its emergency character, often negotiate solutions where number recognition is enabled by the telecom provider. If so, child helplines usually choose a solution where only supervisors and management have access to the numbers and thereby the identity of the caller.

8 8 B.2.2. Specific implications for Emergency numbers Costs for calls: In most countries, the costs for incoming calls made to an emergency number are picked up by the government or the telecom providers by law. This means that child helplines will not have to deal with the costs made for incoming calls. Legal implications: Usually there are strict regulations attached to the operation and use of emergency numbers. CHI Austrian member organisation Rat Auf Draht operates through the 3-digit emergency number 147. With the use of this number Rat Auf Draht is required to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from every phone in the country and to act upon cases reported. There is no option to operate within specific business hours or to use an automated message and/ or answering machine outside of these hours. Counsellors need to be able to answer the phone at any given time or day. Additionally there are requirements regarding the maximum appropriate waiting times before incoming calls have to be answered. Specific implications for emergency numbers on your organisation can pertain to: Costs for call Legal implications Accessibility from mobile phones Number recognition Before starting an application process to be assigned an emergency number, child helplines need to closely look into the regulations tied to their use in their respective countries. The National Telecommunication Regulatory Authorities will be able to provide this information. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies, provides a global overview of the National Telecommunication Regulators. Additional regulations may be tied to the usage of the number. Emergency numbers are only intended for urgent assistance and should only be used in an emergency. Calling an emergency number for any other reason constitutes abuse (if done intentionally) or misuse (if done accidentally). Abuse of emergency numbers is usually handled as a criminal offence. The approach to these calls depends on the individual philosophy and approach of a child helpline. Accessibility from mobile phones: Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers and someone visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency number in advance. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, instead the network redirects the emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency calls even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card, or an emergency number is entered instead of the PIN. Number recognition: Children between the ages of ten and eighteen, in particular, appear to enjoy pestering emergency numbers and the associated services. The number of prank calls rises accordingly after school, at weekends and during school holidays. This can prevent genuine calls from accessing the service and thus potentially endangers children s lives. Emergency service providers are usually able to trace

9 9 prank callers, including those made from unlisted phones and other attempts by the caller to make the number invisible. However child helplines usually choose a solution where only supervisors and management have access to the numbers and thereby the identity of the caller. B.2.3. Joint implications for Toll-free and Emergency numbers Number of incoming calls: Providing free of cost access will increase the number of children contacting a child helpline. CHI research shows that child helplines that can be reached through a free of cost number receive, on average, ten times more calls than child helplines that do not have this resource. Child helplines will need to be prepared for the increased number of contacts to be able to continue providing quality services. Children will only have faith in this service, if the organisation behind it manages to avoid long waiting times for callers and a high turnover of counselling staff. Implications for both emergency and toll free numbers on your organisation can pertain to: Number of incoming calls Test-calls branding and advertising With the overall number of calls growing, the number of emergency situations a child helpline has to deal with will also increase. Organisations need to consider adjusting their staff and volunteer structure to cope with the increased demand. They may also need additional training for their counsellors. Simultaneously, the number of cases needing referral or follow up will increase. Allied system partners will have to be informed and involved right from the beginning when planning the implementation of free of cost child helpline services. A child helpline needs to have a very clear idea on the capacity of their referral partners to be confident child protection is guaranteed at all times. More calls will most likely require an upgrade in technical infrastructure and modern call centre technology needs to be considered, so that a higher number of counsellors can actually take several calls simultaneously. Test-calls: Test calls will most likely be a new phenomenon a child helpline experiences after launching free of cost access. To a certain extent, these calls may be responsible for the steep increase in contacts and pose a real challenge to the counsellors. Test calls in this context comprise of a wide range of contacts that are made to test the service and to find out what to expect from it. Test calls can be hoax calls, where the counselor is presented with an invented problem. Often these calls are of a sexual content or they are of a more abusive nature, where the counsellors are shouted at and offensive language is used. Other test calls are silent calls, repeated hang-ups or similar. In spite of the challenges these calls present to the child helpline, it is widely considered child appropriate behaviour that a service needs to prepared for. Child helplines need to have a clear strategy on how to respond to these calls. Special attention must be given to this phenomenon right from the planning stage and throughout selection and recruitment, training, on the job support, supervision and project monitoring and evaluation. On several occasions this topic has been addressed at CHI events and Consultations. Have a look here for some presentations on this topic.

10 10 Branding and advertising: A new phone number for a child helpline means the same as changing the physical address means for walk-in services. To enable children to find and utilise the child helpline after the change of number, targeted awareness campaigns need to be carried out. However child helplines have different implementation strategies with some services running pilot phases in one city or region before gradually rolling out on national level. Other organisations launch country-wide from the very beginning. Depending on the particular plans, the most suitable advertising approach needs to be chosen. Child helplines from within the CHI network have successfully done everything from local and regional promotions to national multimedia launching campaigns.

11 11 C. Preparation and Process There are various differing experiences within the CHI membership, on how organisations managed to get assigned free of cost telephone numbers to their child helplines. All these different ways however have had one thing in common. They have changed perceptions and initiated and/or influenced decision making processes in their favour. Just as in all other group interactions, there are politics involved. And eventually the final and most important decisions in this process are made by politicians and government bodies. Therefore it is vital for child helplines to know all relevant groups of stakeholders and rally them to support their cause. This can be a long process that is steered by a variety of factors. For child helplines to be able to shape this process according to their needs, they need to carefully prepare their campaign and do some related research. Specifically they will need a clear understanding about the exact number assignment process in their country, the relevant stakeholders and decision makers and will have to be able to prove the need for a free of cost number. With this information in hand they will be able to develop their key advocacy messages and know with whom to share them. C.1. Needs Assessment Study When trying to engage stakeholders to support a cause, orgsnisations have to be prepared to answer questions, especially the most important one: What is the exact need for this intervention or activity? Having a solid needs assessment in hand, will not only assist successful advocacy campaigns but will as well be crucial when developing business plans for the establishment of child helpline services and form basis for further refining their long term strategies Needs assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or gaps between current conditions and desired conditions or wants. The discrepancy between the current condition and wanted condition must be measured to appropriately identify and prove the need. It can clarify problems and identify appropriate interventions or solutions. By clearly identifying the problem and pointing out the appropriate interventions to satisfy this need, discussions can take place regarding specific resources that need to be directed towards developing and implementing a feasible and applicable solution. Child helplines in their effort to get assigned free of cost phone numbers to their services will have to prove: 1. the importance of free access for children to the service 2. the demand for such a number and the potential number of children that can be reached; 3. the added value compared to the current situation (especially if the existing child helpline does not have a free of cost number); 4. the gap that your child helpline will fill in the child protection system. CHI has developed a manual on How To Start a Child Helpline Service which offers support and advice on the process of starting or scaling-up a child helpline. The manual contains a particular chapter on how to prepare and carry out a needs

12 12 assessment study amongst children, adults and partner organisations. The guide can be requested from CHI at C.2. Stakeholder Analysis The world of telecommunications can be confusing especially when entering it as an outsider, from a different field. In every country this sector is populated by a complex group of stakeholders from within government administrations and the private sector. In order to better understand this sector, it is important to identify and analyse its stakeholders. Who are the relevant key stakeholders in the intended planning or change process? The list of stakeholders needs to be put together, bearing in mind everyone who can significantly influence this process, have individual or personal interest in it, both as potential beneficiaries or losers. This list might go beyond representatives from the telecommunications sector and may include representatives from politics, local leadership, civil society, other respected persons, or those with social or religious influence amongst others. It makes sense to take time and brainstorm on possible stakeholders. It makes sense to take time and brainstorm on possible stakeholders. Relevant questions that could guide through this brainstorm might be: Who is in charge of reserving, allocating, assigning and implementing free of cost telephone numbers? Who are the exact beneficiaries (see chapter C.1. on needs assessment)? Who might feel threatened by it? Who are the possible losers? Are politics involved? What are the political sensitivities? Who are the key political players in this process?

13 13 Who can possibly influence this process, in a positive or negative way? Where is there potential for conflict? Which relationships exist amongst stakeholders? Are there possible hierarchies involved? Which individuals, groups and institutions have interests in this process? What are these particular interests? How will these interests most likely affect the planning process, its riskiness and liability? How can specific interests be useful or supportive of the process? Where is there opportunity for leverage, cooperation and coalition building? Answers to these questions will help to develop action plans and identify appropriate forms of stakeholder participation and inform negotiating positions. Primary stakeholders are: The organisation interested in acquiring the free of cost number. They are the main driver, they start the process. Since they are as well the main target group of this toolkit, they are not specifically mentioned in the above chart. The respective National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, which is officially in charge of the national numbering plan and number assignment process. Depending on the particular process foreseen in a country, additional primary stakeholders are other Ministries and State Agencies. The telecommunication providers for fixed and mobile networks. Children and young people are the main beneficiaries. Others? Secondary stakeholders are: Possible supporters (might be donors, sponsors and other supporters) Referral services and networks. Child helplines need strong referral services to be able to direct children in need in the right direction and provide specialised services to them. Other helplines. Schools, youth and sports clubs, hospitals, etc. Media Others?

14 14 C.3. Stakeholder involvement and coalition building Coalition building is a distinct step in most advocacy campaigns. The chance for success is more likely, the bigger the group of supporters, especially those directly or indirectly affected by the process or intervention. Their participation should enable stakeholders to play an active role in decision making and in the consequent activities. As a result there is greater ownership of the process for all involved. Objectives are more likely to be achieved, and results are more likely to be sustained. However, there are different types of involvement a stakeholder can choose or be useful for. The best possible way of engagement can only be found and decided upon in agreement with the respective stakeholder. Some might be more enthusiastic from the beginning and are happy to invest into the process financially and contribute expertise and staff time. Others need to find their role along the way, or might just be happy to stay informed. Additionally every one of the identified stakeholders will need its specific approach and communications. Advocacy messages need to be understood by them and therefore they need to be presented to them in a context relevant to them and through the appropriate media, and of course children will need to be addressed and involved differently than referral partners or government representatives. The process of stakeholder involvement is absolutely crucial in every process and is directly linked to the success of it. Below is a quick summary of some typical challenges in multi stakeholder processes explained using pictures: Some stakeholders are more excited than others. Ownership is not shared equally. Some important stakeholders are not involved. Not all stakeholders have understood the need of the process. Some stakeholders are willing to support but will water down the project.

15 15 Too many differing interests. Low trust environment. Different interpretations of the same thing. Different conventions or traditions. Not everyone is on the same page. Political sensitivities challenge the process. Some stakeholders are doubtful regarding the main beneficiaries of the process. There is a feeling of being taken advantage of by some stakeholders. Some stakeholders are asked to contribute or give away more than others Not all stakeholders are involved appropriately. Wrong expectation towards certain stakeholders. Wrong ratio of stakeholders. E.g. too many information receivers in comparison to few collaborators or self mobilisers

16 16 C.4. Telecommunication landscape, assignment processes and requirements Embarking on the journey of interacting with the above mentioned stakeholders might be challenging. As in all other professional areas, the telecommunication sector communicates using their own coded language and industry specific definitions and abbreviations, which makes it even more difficult to find a way in. Therefore it is paramount to gain a better understanding of the respective telecommunication landscape and its common processes on the one hand, and the relevant legislation in a country on the other. Whereas a child helpline advocate does not need to become a real expert in the field of telecommunications, it does make sense to make oneself familiar with a few telecoms related terminologies to be able to engage into a conversation with an expert in that field. The Independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries Ofcom has a helpful glossary as part of their national numbering plan. This is of course the UK numbering plan and does not have any international or global validity; however it can be used as a reference point when looking for definitions. Furthermore it is important to be familiar with the main telecoms players on a national level, be aware of the requirements and specific conditions attached to certain numbering types and know about possible application procedures and necessary processes regarding the assignment process. The following paragraphs look into these three topics with some detail. C.4.1. Who are the organisations that populate the telecoms landscape on national levels? We have touched upon this point in the chapter on stakeholder analysis however this particular group has deserved more a detailed listing in this document. a) The Ministry for Communication every country has a Ministry dealing with issues related to telecommunications. However the name of the respective Ministry might not carry telecommunications in the title. E.g. in Germany, the relevant authority is the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technologies. b) The National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NRA). Traditionally, governments had the monopoly on providing telecommunication services in their countries. Hence, the telecommunication providers were usually government entities. This situation has changed. The privatisation of former state operations has characterised economic policy worldwide for almost thirty years and consequently former monopoly markets have opened up. However former national providers have managed to stay dominant for a long time. The central task of regulation therefore is to keep a check on the dominant provider s market power and to help new competitors enjoy the same opportunities. However the NRAs are entrusted with a variety of other tasks that require regulation, one of which is the national numbering plans. A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunications to allocate telephone numbers, to subscribers and to route telephone calls in a telephone network. A full list of the NRA on global level can be found here. a) In relation to child helpline services, there may be other government bodies involved. Possible branches could be Social Affairs, Family and Youth and/or similar.

17 17 b) The national telecommunication providers, for fixed phone and mobile communication. It is very important to have an understanding of the major companies, their market shares (especially with young people and children), their network infrastructure and possible cooperations, affiliations and shareholders on international an level. All this can have a substantial influence on the process of number assignment, availability of the service and/or possible sponsorship from the sector. A list of telecommunications providers per country can be found here. C.4.2. Assignment process and requirements The allocation of a telephone number means that the specific number has been reserved for a particular use (e.g. in the case of in Europe for child helplines. This entails that is can t be used for any other purpose than the designated one. It does not mean however that the number has been appointed to a services provider (i.e. child helpline organisation, telecommunications firm or governmental agency): this the process is called assignment. In an assignment process different service providers can apply to take use of the allocated number (e.g. in the case of in Europe, different service providers apply to use the number to provide child helpline services). When a telephone number is adopted the number is taken in use and the general public can access a service by dialling the telephone number. Is there an official application procedure? The assignment of phone numbers is a national matter. Hence every country has developed its own process of number assignment and allocation. It is important to identify the specific process in the very beginning of any effort to get a number helpline services. Most likely, the National Regulatory Authority has published the information on the specific process and it can usually be found on its website. If that is not the case, the information has to be collected from the Regulator directly. Examples how the number assignment process is organised can be found in chapter E. Who will own the number? It must be clear if the number will eventually be assigned directly to the child helpline service, or a government service, or if it will be allocated to a telecom provider. All three options are possible and have specific consequences that need to be considered in the planning stage. If the number is owned by a government entity for instance, they will be free to choose the implementing agency through direct selection or public consultation. Hence the child helpline selected to implement the service cannot be absolutely sure to keep the number long term. In the 23 EU and EFTA countries where has been assigned, the number has so far been given directly to child helplines in 13 countries, to a telecom provider in six countries and to a particular Government body in four cases. The relationship between the owner and the implementing agency might therefore be of great importance. Is there any political involvement foreseen in the process? It is advisable to clarify if a certain political sign-off process is required in addition to an official application procedure. Does parliament or a commission have to approve of the assignment? Are there powerful political individuals that might have a personal interest in this process? All this, might make the

18 18 process much more difficult and definitely much longer. What requirements are attached to the operation of a particular number? Most likely, there are particular eligibility criteria attached as a pre-requisite for assignment. There could be requirements regarding a certain legal status, registration type or scope, e.g. non-profit, non-governmental, national relevance, etc. Additionally specific requirements might be attached regarding the ability to provide 24 hour service. What is the paperwork that needs to be prepared? Once the assignment process is clarified, it will be easier to gather information on the necessary documents that need to be prepared. As mentioned in the beginning, this document does not claim to be exhaustive in regards to all possible scenarios. Countries do observe each other on how they handle their telecommunication issues; however they eventually have to come up with their own solutions. Therefore a big variety of processes exist, and they are as well subject to change over time. We cannot display all different scenarios organisations might encounter. Every organisation therefore has the responsibility to understand the particularities in their national assignment processes. The more clarity regarding the process and potential risks and opportunities can be gathered, the more successful the planned campaigns will turn out.

19 D. Campaigning for a free of cost number 19 The time to start campaigning has come. Below is a summary of some of the key advocacy messages used by child helplines around the world and some additional recommendations on how to build supportive alliances. D.1. Advocacy Messages 1. Reach the unreached: If the child helpline has free of cost access, even the children in the most destitute circumstances are able to contact the child helpline if they are in need of care and attention, 2. Cost free for children, from land lines and mobile phones: The average age at which children get their first mobile phones is getting lower. At the same time a mobile phones often provides the only safe way of connecting to a child helpline. That is why free of charge access is crucial, not only for calls from land lines, but also for subscriber of all mobile operators. 3. Cost-free for the child helpline: Child Helplines should not be required to pay. This will make resources available to your child helpline and devote precious resources to child helpline services. 4. National accessibility: A child helpline should be nationally accessible, from all phones and anywhere in the country. Sometimes child helplines choose a geographically limited pilot area before rolling out to national level. This however should be the choice of the child helpline and not be determined by the nature of the number /7 availability and accessibility: Children face issues at all times of day and night. Especially for those marginalised and in the most severe situations, night time might be the only safe time to ask for help. In these circumstances it is important that assistance is just a phone call away. To ensure maximum child protection, child helplines need to be accessible 24 hours per day, seven days per week. 6. Easy to remember, short digit telephone number: Children need to be able to remember how to contact a child helpline at all times. It is easy to forget important phone numbers when in distress. Also those children that do not know how to read or write need to be able to memorise the telephone number on the dialling pad. In short, the number needs to be child appropriate. A short digit code, at best a three to four figure code is key for a child helpline to be accessible for all children. 7. Child helplines should not pay for the costs of the call. There should be long term guarantees that a child helpline can be contacted without cost to either the child or the child helpline. If a child helpline has to pay for the costs of incoming calls or has no guaranteed long term toll-free telephone status, valuable human resources will be devoted to fundraising and advocacy that could be used for counselling children.

20 20 A few tips to back up your arguments: Provide case studies from your daily work at the phone line. This will help other stakeholders to understand the importance of your interventions and why free of cost access is of major importance. Utilise your data collection to illustrate the importance of this service and showcase the variety of reasons for calls to your child helpline. Consult Child Helpline International s annual data publication Connecting to Children and compare the numbers of incoming calls. These statistics show, that children with free of cost access are contacted ten times more often than those operating with normal fee numbers.

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